The Importance of Team Building Today: Steps on How to Get Started
The work environment today is more collaborative, dependent on technological competencies, more agile and cognitively complex than it has been in the past. As of October 2nd, 2018 there were 250,000 more jobs added and that has brought down the unemployment rate to 3.7 percent.
What this means for you as a job giver /organization is an increase of available opportunities from competitors. Organizations that provide employees with an environment that helps them foster and grow, may be better equipped to retain their staff. You have to work towards building a culture of collaboration and learning, something which can be achieved through a well-thought-out team building and engagement plan.
Gone are the days when team building was about office outings, nature retreats, circle sharing etc. While these activities do lead to some team connections, there are more impactful ways to develop deeper connections and build cultures. Some of the newer and more effective team building activities/events include design thinking, interactive game projects, creativity training, inclusion seminars, personal development workshops, team coaching sessions etc. Companies like Facebook even run music video competitions to help their staff be better engaged!
While it might seem overwhelming as to which activity to plan for your employees, we have compiled a quick guide for you to begin identifying what kind of team building activity would benefit your employees.
1. Start with defining the purpose – e.g. “What do you want your employees to get out of the activities/events/trainings?”
2. Know the availability of your employees – e.g. “Can your employees devote 3 days for attending a design thinking workshop?”
3. Understand your budget – e.g. “Do I have the resources to send 30 staff members to London for a conference?”
4. Have a clear defined agenda – e.g. “What will the employees be doing for the whole day? “, “Are there enough breaks?”
5. Communicate the importance of the event/training/activity – e.g. “This event has been planned for all staff because it will help us understand our market better, considering we are expanding to a new city.”
6. Give space for reflections – e. g “What have you learnt today and how will you bring that back to your work?”
7. Get feedback - e.g. “How can we improve the activities/events in the future?”